Netflix’s most recent narco-based series, Griselda, debuted on the streaming service on January 25, 2024. Griselda Blanco, a real-life Colombian cocaine trafficker, served as the inspiration for the show’s main character, played by Sofia Vergara of Modern Family with her young pictures now viral
Although Sofia Vergara’s acting has won praise from viewers, Michael Corleone Blanco, Griselda Blanco’s son, has been among the show’s most critical reviewers. He chastised the showrunners for prosthetically altering Vergara’s appearance.
Michael Corleone Blanco reportedly took issue with the way his late mother was portrayed in the series, claiming that the drug trafficking queen’s mugshots did not accurately depict her appearance in real life and that she actually looked lovely.
This article examines the notorious cocaine godmother’s appearance both before and after her arrest.
Colombia drug lord Griselda Blanco young and old picture goes viral after Netflix documentary drops
The part in Episode one where ol boy wiped their slate clean wasn’t making much sense until I googled ‘young Griselda Blanco’ #GriseldaNetflix pic.twitter.com/uFgHV6O3BU
— ⚜️ (@RobbBeaux) January 30, 2024
The Netflix original series centres on the life of Griselda Blanco, recreating significant events that highlight her ascent to prominence as one of America’s most infamous drug lords in the 1970s and 1980s. Actress Sofia Vergara was treated with prosthetics to resemble the actual Griselda in order to play the notorious trafficker who went by the nickname “Cocaine Godmother.”
Here are pictures of a young Griselda Blanco from a January 8th Latin Trends dot com story. It took me 2 minutes to find.
Her son wasn't necessarily wrong but you all were unnecessarily lazy https://t.co/Fl0GC8yPen pic.twitter.com/MzYpzkqZaV
— Michael A. Young (@RealMYoung23) January 28, 2024
However, Michael Corleone, Griselda’s son, stated the following in a Daily Mail interview: “My mother was a beautiful woman and it’s crazy that a lot of people say no, you’ve got to look more like a drug addict…the fact that they call her ugly that really offends me.”
According to Michael, Sofia Vergara’s portrayal in the series is meant to make her appear ugly. He further stressed how beautiful his mother was and said that images of her taken after spending decades in prison had led to a false impression of her appearance. He claims that she was a stunning woman, and the mugshots did not do her credit because years of incarceration took a toll on both her health and appearance.
Michael Corleone Blanco told Daily Mail that he was not thrilled with how Netflix handled his mother’s story. She had always been a stunning woman and 26 years in prison aged her as a person. Furthermore, he said his mother was accustomed to being pampered and maintained. Although she was no saint, she was a star and a queen.
Young Griselda Blanco was a baddie, but she doesn’t look any better or worse than Sofia 😭😭 https://t.co/kbem065Ubl pic.twitter.com/Rru1hrzkcl
— ❄️joi alexandra❄️ (@bruneaux_mahs) January 27, 2024
After being detained in 1985, Blanco was first given a 15-year prison term. She was, however, eventually given a second sentence of twenty more years in prison, serving the entire 26-year term before being transported back to Medellin because of her failing health.